The present invention relates generally to the field of image formation devices and in particular to a coupling retraction mechanism for a color electrophotographic printer.
The use of removable cartridges in image formation devices is well known. Such cartridges typically include a photoconductive member upon which latent images are formed, as well as a reservoir of toner and rollers to apply toner to the photoconductive member to develop the latent image. A wide variety of designs and mechanisms are employed in the art for inserting and removing such cartridges. In particular, inserting a removable cartridge in an axial direction, whereby a drive receiver on the end of the cartridge mates with a rotary drive coupling as the cartridge is inserted, is well known in the art. Other insertion/removal means are known, whereby the cartridge is inserted/removed in a direction at right angles to the cartridge's rollers' axes. Such systems typically require a manual, mechanical decoupling of a rotary drive coupler from a drive receiver on the cartridge, to provide mechanical clearance for the insertion/removal of the cartridge.
Modern, compact, multicolor image formation devices typically include a plurality of removable cartridges, such as three or four, each supplying a different color of toner. One recent development in the image formation arts is the separation of the functions of toner supply, and image formation and transfer, into different removable cartridges. Such a system may include a large number (e.g., eight) separately removable cartridges, each of which must be mechanically coupled to the image forming device, to provide rotary power to the cartridge. Additionally, other elements in the image forming device may require decouplable rotary power.